Family loses special mementos in south San Antonio fire

SAN ANTONIO - A South Side homeowner says he lost more than property when his home went up in flames Sunday.

Jose Aguilar said he and his wife had just left their home in the 1400 block of West Pyron when they got frantic phone call from their son.

"Me and my wife were headed out to put gas in the truck and we were coming back home," said Aguilar. "We were a couple of blocks away when my son called that the house was on fire."

The couple rushed back and luckily, their son made it out safely. However, Aguilar said there was smoke everywhere and concerns about some ammunition stored in the house.

"Apparently, we had an electrical short at the back end of the house, which caught the house on fire," said Capt. Eusebio Perez with the San Antonio Fire Department. "They installed an electrical appliance recently , less than a week ago, apparently it shorted out."

The fire moved from the back of the house to the front and while it didn't make its way to where the ammunition was stored, it destroyed everything else in its path.

Aguilar said most of his belongings can just be replaced, but what hurts him the most is losing special mementos left behind by his father, who passed away two years ago.

"Pretty much everything is gone inside," said Aguilar. "Old mementos from my dad that had passed away and everything. His hats, rifles, jackets, everything is gone. That was the only memories I had of him."

Still, even with those special mementos lost, Aguilar said he is glad that his son and everyone else is OK.

"Thanks to the firemen that came," he said. "They got here real quick." While the outside of the house looks okay, Perez said there is a lot of damage inside and that they are considering this a "total loss." The Aguilars do have home insurance and they will be staying with family members.

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